A flagship bus improvement scheme planned for Leeds has this morning been given the go-ahead by the government.

Councillors in the city development scrutiny board meeting in Leeds Civic Hall this morning were told the A65 Quality Bus Corridor scheme, which features a series of public transport and road improvements along the A65 between the Inner Ring Road and Kirkstall Lane, has today won final approval from the Department for Transport.

£20m funding

The council will receive almost £20m worth of funding from the Department for Transport.

The current phase of the corridor scheme covers the section of the route between Kirkstall Lane and the Inner Ring Road. It comprises extensive bus priority measures together with significant measures to benefit pedestrians and cyclists.

The scheme will provide

* Four kilometres of new bus lane covering inbound and outbound journeys* Bus priority signal arrangements at two major junctions* Additional pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities and cycle lanes* Pre-signal arrangements to give buses priority at the exits from the bus lanes* Improvements to bus passenger facilities including new shelters and information displays in real time at the busiest stops

It is hoped benefits from the scheme will include bus passenger journey time improvements of six minutes in the peak periods and increased bus use.

Councillor speaks out against scheme

At the meeting, councillors heard Labour councillor John Illingworth speak out against the scheme and call on the scrutiny board to investigate the project.

Illingworth, a previous critic of the project, said that in the original plans, drawn up in 1992, buses were fully segregated from general traffic but now the scheme did not include bus lanes along some of the most congested sections.

He was also concerned that what he described as 'the incomplete' scheme would lead to rat running in an area expecting a number of major new developments in the near future.

"The boat has got a hole in it," Illingworth said. "And it would be in the public interest for this defect to be disclosed."

But council officers said no firm scheme had been drawn up in 1992 and councillors from all political parties said there was no need for a full investigation, although the committee would monitor the scheme's progress.